Where are the clones? Send in the clones....

Rating: 7/10 (26 March 2006)

It is ironic, perhaps, that a film dealing with the central theme of cloning feels somewhat like a clone itself. The first 30 minutes or so of The Island (and the ending) is more a less a direct crib from 70s classics 'Logan's Run'(in which the main protagonists must escape their enclosed environment to escape execution at the hands of those in control) and the lesser known 'The Clonus Horror'.
Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johannsen play clones who discover the terrible truth behind their existence - that they exist only as spare parts for the rich - and decide to hot foot it to sanctuary - in this case, Los Angeles. They are pursued by a professional tracker and his gang and at this point the film becomes a hi-tech actioner of the kind to be expected from director Michael Bay, the man behind OTT mega-budget blockbusters Armageddon, Bad Boys and Pearl Harbour.
Bay takes proceedings very seriously, obviously believing he is making a profound piece of work that questions the ethics of cloning; what the viewer actually gets is a big budget sci-fi epic that is preposterous, yet very entertaining.
The film looks great – cinematography and special effects are well above par – and Bay's usual annoying habit of over-editing sequences is kept to a minimum. The action is loud, fast and spectacular, although some scenes are so far fetched that they will have you sniggering in disbelief. McGregor and Johannsen are pretty good as far as eye-candy leads go, and they deliver some ridiculous lines with admirably straight faces.
And when the film had finished, I actually found myself in two minds about the ethics of cloning. Part of me felt that cloning was perhaps wrong – that playing God is a dangerous thing to do. The other part of me wants to know where I can get me a Scarlett Johannsen clone for a little experimentation of my own!